On this day in 1912, John Dube organized a political group that will become the African National Congress. Its objective was to bring all peoples together to replace the apartheid system in the Republic of South Africa. This objective was met in 1990 when the ANC was unbanned by the apartheid regime.
Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, pop singer who has been performing professionally since the 1950s, was born on this day in 1937 in Wales, United Kingdom. She is best known for doing soundtracks for James Bond films.
During the initial phases of Reconstruction after the Civil War, legislation was passed to give voting rights to Washington, DC’s Black population. On this day in 1867, Black people gained the right to vote over the veto of then President Andrew Johnson.
“It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
MLK, Jr, I Have A Dream speech, 1963
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